Music Biz Headlines, May 4, 2020
Drake reflects upon music during the pandemic, Bif Naked (pictured) gives her convocation speech, and Johnny Reid offers solace to Nova Scotia. Others in the headlines include The Weeknd, Bruce Cockburn, Justin Bieber, Calvin Harris, Sonic Boom, Bandcamp, drive-in concerts, streaming royalties, Tony Allen, and War.
By FYI Staff
Drake reflects on releasing music during coronavirus pandemic
“It’s an interesting time for us to figure out what people need, says the rapper. He surprise-released a new mixtape, Dark Lane Demo Tapes, on May 1. – Rhian Daly, NME
We asked Bif Naked to give the convocation speech that COVID-19 has denied her
With many convocations postponed or cancelled, the Star asked some prominent people receiving honorary degrees to give the speech they would have given in the current climate.Today, Beth Allen, a.k.a. Bif Naked, honoured by Simon Fraser University with a doctor of fine arts degree for her music, writing and human and animal rights advocacy. – Bif Naked, Toronto Star
Johnny Reid has released an emotional tribute to the people of Nova Scotia.
Reid says he was shocked to learn of the tragic shootings that took place on April 18 and 19 throughout several communities in Nova Scotia.The Juno-winning singer-songwriter’s latest single, “People Like You,” is a special tribute to the people who have welcomed him with open arms. – CTV News
Singer-songwriter Bruce Cockburn on the challenge of writing in reaction to a crisis
Cockburn says he does not feel either an urge or an ability to say anything about the pandemic right now, as it’s too ephemeral. – Brad Wheeler, Globe and Mail
Justin Bieber loving lockdown life in Ontario
Turns out Justin Bieber is loving the quarantine life as he self-isolates at a mansion on Puslinch Lake near Cambridge, Ont. The homegrown pop star revealed during Sunday’s Stronger Together broadcast, which assembled some of Canada’s biggest stars in an effort to honour frontline healthcare workers and raise money for Food Banks Canada, that he and wife Hailey are maintaining social distance in Canada. – Mark Daniell, Toronto Sun
Former e-commerce holdout Sonic Boom builds a music community online
The Toronto record shop is now selling over 25,000 records online and has launched a virtual in-store live music series. – Richard Trapunski, NOW
Music has emerged as one of our most powerful weapons in the fight against Covid-19
As this pandemic continues to unfold, I have taken comfort in the fact that music still brings people together. The songs we sing in our darkest hours may be the consolation that keeps us from feeling alone. – Saleema Nawaz, Globe and Mail
'SNL': Here's why The Weeknd was sporting a bloody nose during his performances
While The Weeknd put on an impressive set of performances this past weekend on SNL in a re-run of the March 7 episode from the award-winning NBC sketch comedy series, the Canadian singer raised some eyebrows with his latest look. Many viewers were left wondering about his apparent bloody nose, which made quite an impression with audiences. – Michael Hein, Pop Culture
Bandcamp's monthly initiative is becoming the new Record Store Day
The music platform is lifting its revenue share on the first Friday of every month – and now labels and musicians are putting out exclusive releases and deals. – Richard Trapunski, NOW
International
Drive-in concerts are now a thing in Denmark
Some experts are predicting large-scale gatherings won’t be safe until “fall 2021 at the earliest” — but apparently Denmark can’t wait that long. Last week, the city of Aarhus held a drive-in concert where audience members could watch live music from the comfort of their cars. – Nina Corcoran, Consequence of Sound
Questions artists need to ask before coronavirus ends
Coronavirus is transforming the world and, like so many industries, the music business will have changed dramatically when this is all over, and artists need to be prepared to change with it. Here, we explore a series of questions artists should be asking themselves while in quarantine. –James Shotwell, Hypebot
Arithmetic on the internet revisited: The sustainable ethical pool solution to user-centric royalties
“User-centric” is rapidly becoming all the rage in the streaming royalty debate. To its credit, Deezer is the only streaming service that has announced it is working on trying to implement a user-centric model. Others may be, but no public announcements have been made. – Chris Castle, Musictechsolutions
Dan Steinberg’s Facebook discussion on the future of the concert industry
Newport Festivals canceled for 2020
It’s official: There will be no Newport Jazz Festival or Newport Folk Festival this year. On April 29, the fests organization announced the cancellation of both events due to the health risks posed by the covid-19 pandemic. – JazzTimes
Over one hundred Chinese musicians, including Faye Wong and Lang Lang, will give a virtual charity show named "Believe in the Future" to help people ease anxiety related to the epidemic, with the first performance starting on May 4. Chinese-Canadian singer Kris Wu is also featured. – CGTN
Missouri Governor says concerts & other live events may resume starting May 4
Governor Mike Parsons has declared that concerts and other public events like movies and amusement parks can start happening in the state starting Monday, May 4. The announcement was made as part of Missouri’s “Show Me Strong Recovery Plan” and will be the first state in the US to allow such events since the pandemic lockdown began. – Brooklyn Vegan
Our music consumption patterns are changing, but will they stay that way?
Our lives have changed so much in this time that it's a given that our music consumption patterns have as well. Even if you know that you're listening more or less than before, it's still interesting to know what the rest of the world is doing and that's where the latest series of studies from Billboard and Nielsen Music come in. – Bobby Owsinski, Forbes
Gilles Peterson and Flea of Red Hot Chili Peppers pay tribute to the Fela Kuti collaborator, described by Brian Eno as ‘perhaps the greatest drummer who ever lived.’ – Laura Snapes, The Guardian
War is much better than its hits
The broad catalogue War created during their '70s prime captured the essence of Los Angeles areas like Compton and Long Beach, places where many of the band's members either grew up or moved to. In a parallel way, War's sound combined Latin-jazz, funk, pop and rock. – Jim Farber, Music Aficionado
‘Rockers and spies’ – how the CIA used culture to shred the iron curtain
Musicians and artists were all enlisted to assert US power in the cold war. A new podcast explores the part the agency played. – Ed Vulliamy, The Guardian
How the richest DJ in the world, Calvin Harris, spends his $240 million fortune
Since Harris is a very popular name in the EDM scene, it’s not surprising that he has actually been the highest-paid DJ for several years. Harris definitely earns a lot of money, so some fans might be curious to know how he spends his fortune. – Dirk Winifred, Cheat Sheet
